Young people preserving spirit of traditional Mid-Autumn Festival
SGGP
Driven by a love for traditional cultural values, a group of young people in HCMC have devoted themselves to recreating traditional Mid-Autumn lanterns based on archival materials and images dating back decades and, in some cases, centuries.
Artisan Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy puts the finishing touches on a carp-shaped lantern. (Photo: SGGP)
With each carefully bent bamboo strip, stretched sheet of translucent paper, and hand-painted detail, toys that had seemingly faded into memory are being brought back to life, helping preserve the craftsmanship and meticulous artistry of Vietnamese culture.
Housed beneath the roof of the more-than-160-year-old Son Tra communal house in Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, the “Coc Coc Tung Tung” exhibition features a variety of traditional Mid-Autumn lanterns. Among them is the nearly 3-meter-tall lantern called “Coc kien troi” (The Toad Takes Heaven to Court), inspired by the Vietnamese children’s folktale of the same name, which evokes childhood memories for adults while offering children a vivid and enchanting window into Vietnamese culture, helping them better understand and appreciate their cultural heritage.
The exhibition will run through October 10.
The "Dai Long Uy Nghi" (Majestic Dragon) lantern draws inspiration from a century-old photograph depicting a dragon lantern procession at the Phu Day Festival in ancient Nam Dinh.
Zan and Megan, tourists from Florida, the U.S., learn about Vietnamese folklore through the art of traditional lantern making.
Every stage of the process—from material selection and frame construction to papering and final touches—is meticulously handcrafted.
Items steeped in Mid-Autumn Festival nostalgia include mooncakes, paper scholar figurines, the "Moon-Striking Old Man" toy, a traditional fruit platter, and papier-mâché lion heads.
The exhibition space drew a large crowd of children enjoying the Mid-Autumn festivities and parading with colorful lanterns.
Young visitors enjoyed traditional sweets and tea while listening to presentations on Mid-Autumn Festivals of the past.
![longden2-3032-5918.jpg](https://image.sggp.org.vn/w1000/Uploaded/2026/zfuswurkxr/2026_09_20/longden2-3032-5918-4979-4221.jpg "The "Dai Long Uy Nghi" (Majestic Dragon) lantern draws inspiration from a century-old photograph depicting a dragon lantern procession at the Phu Day Festival in ancient Nam Dinh.")
![trungthu2-4342-5663.jpg](https://image.sggp.org.vn/w1000/Uploaded/2026/zfuswurkxr/2026_09_20/trungthu2-4342-5663-8887-1980.jpg "Items steeped in Mid-Autumn Festival nostalgia include mooncakes, paper scholar figurines, the "Moon-Striking Old Man" toy, a traditional fruit platter, and papier-mâché lion heads.")
